PA official claims Israeli nuclear reactor is a threat to Palestinians, whereas Israel distributes medicine annually to Israelis in case of a leak or explosion
Official PA TV program My Environment is My Address, on radiation; hosting Director of the PA Environmental Protection Authority’s Environmental Radiation Department Dr. Adnan Joudeh
Official PA TV host: "Doctor, it is known that there are many Israeli violations against our environment, both in the West Bank and in Gaza. What are the clear signs of these violations and what is the extent of their danger to the environment in general, and to the Palestinian civilian in particular?"
Director of the PA Environmental Protection Authority’s Environmental Radiation Department Dr. Adnan Joudeh: "The occupation’s greatest violation is the occupation itself. The occupation of the land and the people is the greatest violation, but the issue is not without additional violations, environmental ones. The topic of our episode is radiation pollution, so I want to leave all the environmental violations and deal with the radiation pollution as a violation. The greatest violations- if we want to prioritize them- then the greatest [Israeli environmental] violation is the Dimona reactor being located at a distance of [just] dozens of kilometers from our southern area [of the West Bank]. A nuclear reactor, and the possibility of a nuclear disaster, and there are many examples of this, [such as] Fukushima and Chernobyl. The states and areas near them are still suffering until now. I want to provide a statistic: It has been measured- Radioactive material has leaked from Chernobyl [and reached] Jordan and Palestine. In other words, it crossed great distances and humanity has suffered from it. What guarantees to us as a Palestinian people that an accident, explosion, or disaster will not happen at this reactor? We have no protection as a Palestinian people. Maybe [the Israelis] have shelters or Lugol medicine. They distributed it one year to their citizens. We don’t have anything, and therefore the presence of the reactor is the greatest violation. In addition to the possibility of nuclear material leaking from the reactor, there are many questions being asked regarding the nuclear waste. Where are they burying it? We have no proof, but there has been talk at different times that perhaps they are burying it in Palestinian areas, and that is a disaster because it will pollute the ground water.”
Official PA TV host: "Doctor, it is known that there are many Israeli violations against our environment, both in the West Bank and in Gaza. What are the clear signs of these violations and what is the extent of their danger to the environment in general, and to the Palestinian civilian in particular?"
Director of the PA Environmental Protection Authority’s Environmental Radiation Department Dr. Adnan Joudeh: "The occupation’s greatest violation is the occupation itself. The occupation of the land and the people is the greatest violation, but the issue is not without additional violations, environmental ones. The topic of our episode is radiation pollution, so I want to leave all the environmental violations and deal with the radiation pollution as a violation. The greatest violations- if we want to prioritize them- then the greatest [Israeli environmental] violation is the Dimona reactor being located at a distance of [just] dozens of kilometers from our southern area [of the West Bank]. A nuclear reactor, and the possibility of a nuclear disaster, and there are many examples of this, [such as] Fukushima and Chernobyl. The states and areas near them are still suffering until now. I want to provide a statistic: It has been measured- Radioactive material has leaked from Chernobyl [and reached] Jordan and Palestine. In other words, it crossed great distances and humanity has suffered from it. What guarantees to us as a Palestinian people that an accident, explosion, or disaster will not happen at this reactor? We have no protection as a Palestinian people. Maybe [the Israelis] have shelters or Lugol medicine. They distributed it one year to their citizens. We don’t have anything, and therefore the presence of the reactor is the greatest violation. In addition to the possibility of nuclear material leaking from the reactor, there are many questions being asked regarding the nuclear waste. Where are they burying it? We have no proof, but there has been talk at different times that perhaps they are burying it in Palestinian areas, and that is a disaster because it will pollute the ground water.”